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Winneshiek County Becomes the 74th Home Base Iowa Community

September 13, 2017 (Decorah, IA) – State officials extend their congratulations to Winneshiek County on achieving the Home Base Iowa Community designation.

The designation was given to Winneshiek County at a Wednesday evening event attended by Jason Kemp, the Home Base Iowa program manager, along with local business leaders, community leaders and veterans. Momentum for the program has continued to expand with growing support from additional cities and counties across Iowa.

Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program that connects veterans and transitioning service members with over 1,600 businesses statewide that have pledged to hire over 8,000 veterans. The program is also supported by 21 college and university partners and the 74 Home Base Iowa communities statewide.

The program connects businesses and communities with veteran job seekers using the “Find a Veteran” feature. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities access to all active veteran job seeker resumes and information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also allows users to sort job seeker(s) based upon location and/or primary industry to enable direct contact and marketing to those veterans. In addition, it gives businesses a user-friendly platform to find veterans with the skills they need and provides communities the ability to attract veterans and their families.

Iowa has much to offer veterans and transitioning service members, including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become Home Base Iowa businesses and pledged to hire veterans

Community develops its own incentive package for veterans

Community prominently displays Home Base Iowa Community designation

Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body

Winneshiek County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.